DIY Glitter & Quote Mugs

Here’s another project that I’ve been waiting to post until after Christmas since two of these were gifts. I’ve been wanting to try the Sharpie-on-mug project for some time and then I saw this (originally on Pinterest) with dishwasher safe glitter mugs using Martha Stewart Decoupage. You could even do this project with photos and other flat objects so keep this stuff in mind!

Here are the details:

Step 1 is clean the mugs with rubbing alcohol.

I drew on the mugs in Sharpie and baked at 425 for 30 minutes, then let them cool in the oven. This worked in the Dollar Tree mug, but not in the nicer China mugs. Consider springing for a glass & ceramic pen – I’ve seen them at Michael’s – that are made for this exact project (and do require baking). On the Home Goods China mugs, the Sharpie wiped off in some spots even after baking.

After they are cool, tape off the are you want to glitter. I used Washi tape because it was handy after another project and thinner than painters tape (easier to use on tricky areas).

Slather on the decoupage. I used a craft paint brush. Martha Stewart has a brush intended for this, but I’ve found with all of her paints that the special brush doesn’t really matter. Work quickly before it starts to dry.

Sprinkle on the glitter over a sheet of paper so you can pour the glitter back into the container when you’re finished. The directions say to let it sit 1-2 hours, but most seem to leave this overnight.

I had some spots where the glitter didn’t adhere as well, so I did a touch up next with a little bit of decoupage in those areas and another dousing of glitter.

Once glittered and dry, add another coat of decoupage and let dry a couple hours to overnight. I ended up with 3 final coats total before it was to the point that no glitter came off onto the paintbrush.

After 28 days it’s dishwasher safe! It’s a long time to wait, but totally worth it for glittered mugs!

The first mug I did was with Sharpie on a Dollar Store mug, copying the pinned project exactly.

Next I did one for myself, but then realized that it would be perfect for a friend. I didn’t want to give mine up, so I made a second. These are Christian-Louboutin-inspired with red glitter “soles” and a quote from Marilyn Monroe: “Give a girl the right paid of shoes and she can conquer the world”. Truer words have never been spoken. That’s the sort of inspiration I need with my morning coffee.

I ended up going over the mug I gifted with paint pen (above). You can see it next to my Sharpie mug (way above) which is much more faint. I plan to go over the lettering on my mug once I recover from Christmas.

For my mother, I used gold glitter again and a quote from one of our favorite children’s books (Guess How Much I Love You), “I love you to the moon and back”. The Sharpie lettering also smudged off of a couple places on this Target Threshold mug so I also went over it with paint pen. If I had it to do over again, I’d use the special ceramic & glass pens, but they need to bake which I didn’t want to put the fresh glitter and decoupage through.This was a great project and I plan to do it again, maybe on some other dishes.

Compulsive crafter, connoisseur of shiny things, author, real estate Broker, designer, and mom. My mind is always spinning with ideas on how to create beautiful, functional spaces and things. Jane of all trades, master of many. After designing my first home at 20 and becoming a general contractor at 23, I've since created complete custom home spaces as well as couture gowns, crystal-adorned shoes, and more. I don't take no for an answer because there is always a way.